A Long Beach police K9 was found dead in his handler’s department vehicle, apparently from heat, authorities said.

Ozzy was found dead in the K-9 vehicle by his handler on Aug. 14 while the two were off-duty at about 3:40 p.m. A preliminary exam by a veterinarian showed Ozzy’s cause of death as heat-related, police said.

The handler reported the death, prompting an investigation, including checking the vehicle’s equipment.

“Our K-9 vehicles are outfitted with fail/safe equipment that is meant to generate an alert. At this time, we believe this alert may not have been working,” Arantxa Chavarria of the Long Beach Police Department said.

“We believe this was an accident and we are taking all the necessary steps to avoid this happening in the future.”

The statement did not include any details about the equipment or how it could have prevented the death. Police officials did not respond to questions about it, or say how long the dog was in the car. Nor did they disclose the dog’s age, breed or assignment with the department.

According to weather reports, the high temperature on Aug. 14 was 88 degrees in Long Beach though it’s unclear if the handler and K-9 were in the city when he was found dead.

The handler was not immediately identified nor was it known if he or she could face any disciplinary action.

Chavarria said all of the department’s K-9 handlers were checking their own equipment before their shifts and would continue to do so as part of their daily protocols.

“Our department is mourning Ozzy’s loss as we would with any of our employees,” Chavarria said. “Our K-9’s are an indispensable part of our department, and we will continue to view them as partners.”

The #LBPD is extremely saddened to announce the death of K-9 Ozzy. At the time, Ozzy & his handler were both off-duty and Ozzy was inside the officer’s department issued K-9 vehicle. The death was immediately reported to the LBPD and a review into the circumstances was initiated. pic.twitter.com/VMy6xBk3Gv

Alma Fausto is a crime, breaking news and public safety reporter for the Register. She has worked for the Register since 2013. Previously, she lived in New York City while studying at the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism where she covered the growing Mexican immigrant population in the city. Alma has also lived and studied in California’s rural and agricultural Central Valley. She’s an Orange County native from Costa Mesa, and in her spare time likes to read, visit libraries and drink good gin.

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